Is it Time for Another Mainstream No You Book?

Intro:

What would it mean to you to access more peace in any situation? 

What would it mean to you to end disagreements with your spouse or friends? 

What would it mean to you to put that nasty coworker in her place? Or to handle negotiations with ease? 

And what would it mean if you could stop believing you need to fix your flaws before you can really start living?

If I could give you one single takeaway from this book, it would be this:

You don’t need to fix anything because you are not who or what you think. There is no psychological method to fix what's broken in you. There is no higher self to become, no spiritual path to follow, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with you right now, as you are.

Instead, just take a look at who you think you are and you'll discover that it's not at all what you've been taught. Not only that, but you are right now and have always been free to be whomever you wish and who you really want to be. You have the freedom to dream up and be a new self any time you like. Want to change  the patterns in your life? There is absolutely nothing truly holding you back.

Intuitively, you already know this. I’m just here to remind you, and to show you that there's a door. And don't worry, this book is here to hand you the key so you can unlock it for yourself.

Outro:

This is the opening to a "Hey Look! There's No You!" book idea I've been throwing around since 2011. Because I believe that even if you're not a seeker, there are positive effects from understanding a basic truth about the self. That's because it's the very foundation for human behavior and seeing it for what it truly is, and experiencing that truth on a gut level. But even an intellectual understanding can sometimes work wonders to draw attention to the fact that reality is not as it seems. Once that bridge is crossed, (and some would still call that a gateless gate rather than a bridge), options for experiencing the world differently are endless.

There's just one little problem with my "dream".

I've tried to bring this to non-seekers, and most don't like the idea. Some think it's a New Age idea (and it's been appropriated by New Agers), and others think it's just some sort of method of escaping reality. And some believe they understand it and so dismiss it, but have not realized the implications.

How ironic.

The very thing that exposes reality for what it is, is seen as a fantasy and escape.

Of course I'm not the first to try to write about this. A few great reads come to mind The Ego Tunnel by Thomas Metzinger. The Self Illusion by Bruce Hood. Self Comes to Mind by Antonio DaMasio. They are all excellent books that take a scientific approach and explain the concepts thoroughly and extremely well. Maybe too well in that they allow the reader to repeatedly "think the concepts through" when what's really helpful is to give them a tool to separate reality from thought, and to then investigate the problem for themselves. 

The discovery that there is no you isn't life-altering or paradigm-shifting until it's experienced first hand! And then it's like dropping.. well... everything you've carried. It's an unparalleled sense of freedom and equanimity. Sure, it may come and go after the first taste, but if you've got the tool to continue to investigate, the door is always just a step away.

Sometimes it hurts to see humans interact while blinded by their selves. And pointing out that, "hey, there's another way to view this scenario" is dismissed. Emotion and ego rules.

But I'll keep plugging away. Chapter 1 is just about complete. The book most certainly won't be on the bestseller list. But it'll be there just in case someone's looking for that particular message.

At The Drop of This Leaf

Well hello there.

It's been quite a few years, I guess. I've come back to this blog time and again but never really found much to talk about. It seems that whatever needed to be said has already been written.

Until now.

No longer involved in Liberation Unleashed, Truth Strike, Ruthless Truth, or even No-self.com, I can say that I miss those early days and feeling as though the biggest secret in the history of mankind had been discovered. When this was fresh and new, it was heady.

It's still heady, but not quite in the same way. Now, it's about flashes of realizing the implications of that discovery, and also realizing that it's endless, sort of like taking a long walk on an infinite pier.

It's also about navigating the world with this realization.

It's about trying to explain what is now understood about human dynamics.

It's about trying to not talk in Yoda riddles all the time.

Sometimes it seems that there are only two paths left. One is to forget moving in the world of seekers and instead just assimilate back into the everyday. And the other is to stay within the small worlds of seekers because at least they know what you're talking about when this weird and contradictory stuff comes out of your mouth.

I dunno.

One way I tried to work it out was to start a Facebook group about life after realizing that it's not your life and yet there's freedom to imagine any old self at all. But that's absolutely contradictory if you think about it. And yet, here it is, happening. It's an awfully hard concept to work with because it doesn't fit any other paradigm that can be referenced. Not a one.

Whew. What a non-place to find.

Life is a free-float with imagined moorings. Sometimes I get a bit sad about that, especially when noticing emotional pain all around. The understanding that it's illusory was supposed to bring freedom, and it does. But it also brings so much compassion for the human condition that it can move my emotions to and fro. They whip around as though caught in gust of wind causing the final drop of a leaf.

Wouldn't trade it for anything.

Red Pill vs. Blue Pill - Take Both

Using the term spiritual enlightenment when talking about waking up to no separate self is very much like treading on thin ice.  There's just too much opportunity to drop through the cracks of misleading people into thinking that they need to have a religious or spiritual background to see the true nature of reality. 

But this no self stuff?  It's one of the most practical truths I've ever come across.  As a matter of fact, the success of our inquiry sessions, whether at www.liberationunleashed.com or through email, can so often become derailed by ideas and concepts that this is a spiritual pursuit.

Let me clarify.

Inquiry has to be done as a factual exploration of the nature of reality.  We need to peel back the layers of thought to expose our direct sensory experience and not an interpretation of it.  This means that not only is it necessary to put spiritual teachings aside, but any teaching at all, including the early education your well-meaning parents have given you.  Sometimes it's impossible to see that our view of how the puzzle pieces of the world fit together is created within the structure of language.

You probably don't remember when your mom pointed to your nose and pronounced it, "Your nose", but that's the very kind of thinking we question when engaging in inquiry.  Our examination goes back that far into your personal history because the separation between a you inside and mom outside started with those first instructions.  But it gave you only half of the story.  It also led you to believe that you are separate from the rest of the environment and is how and when you probably began to feel alone and insecure in a big and strange world.  In effect, you swallowed the Blue Pill.


So Just Take the Red Pill Too

Though the Matrix movie would have us believe otherwise, it's not necessary to choose.  The truth is closer to the discovery that the experience of life is not one way or another.  It's a combination of both.  We can have our separation, and an understanding that there is only one thing happening, too.  It's not spiritual, though.  It's not about merging with everything or becoming oneness.   It's very ordinary and evident if we know how to look.  And how do we look?  By taking our sensory experience at face value, then seeing what kinds of truths that view leads us to.  We find that there's nothing in here that needs to merge with what's out there because life has always been a singular event, including the idea that there's an individual "you" inside the mind.

Practical vs. Spiritual Inquiry
Where practical investigation gets mixed up with spiritual inquiry and talk about higher consciousness is in that finding the truth about reality does indeed reveal something very mysterious. The amazing mystery, however, is in the fact that we completely miss the obvious.  We have trouble seeing what's directly experienced because we rely on those early teachings which were based in language structure that included nouns.  Our intellect overrides our sensory input to the degree that we discard one for the other.

We think in language structure.  But if we just look, there are no nouns.  Life is only ever a verb.

For more, email me or visit liberation unleashed.

Facebook "Spiritual" Groups: Training Ground for Factions at War?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many times have we fallen into facebook debates that quickly escalate into ego battles?  The subject of discussion is never the actual issue, whether the talk is on spirituality, religion, or the right way to raise a child.   When the exchanges get heated and nasty, we're left with a vague uneasiness and or even embarrassment at our reactions.  Worse, our posts are immortalized for future onlookers to sit in judgement of our poor self control, lack of self esteem, or bullying behavior. 

A lot of times after engaging in these "talks" we end up exiting our browser in disgust, vowing to never EVER participate in the group again. 

Until next time. 


There's more than good reason why on and off the internet talks turn into debate, and debate into arguments or even physical altercations.  It's the exact same dynamic at work as conflict escalates into war and collective reaction results in destruction so large that we appeal to the entire human race to never. ever. let it happen again.

And then it happens again.   


Just take a good look at the symbol for this dynamic which has stood the test of both time and place.  In it, is both war and peace.  Your position for or against any given idea is there.  So is mine.  And so is our enemy's.

In taking a meta view of conflict in general from trading insults to full out war, we can start small and use the social media example introduced above, because the dynamic is the same.  It's just a matter of scale. Lucy Cargill has written a long and thoughtful post about the mess that are spiritual facebook groups.  And despite so many of us wanting to make them work, newly created groups eventually fall into one of two states:

Explosive Endings
Withering Death

The factors in the cause of both is the same.  When people see eye to eye on an issue, there's really nothing to talk about and the group discussion collapses in on itself. On the other hand, disagreement, when left unchecked, leads to an explosive crash and burn with members either leaving abruptly, and in worst cases, dissolution of the group.  We're left with the death of another community and several splinter groups being formed by members who believe they are "like-minded".

We're not like minded.  Not for long. It's just a reprieve because opposing viewpoints are necessary for our continued interaction.  There's no escaping it entirely.

But there's another way to look at these exchanges.  That's what I'm calling the "meta" view, and it's one in which we observe the patterns of behavior.  When we do, we can see that while there are the appearance of individuals in conflict, it's actually happening on a grander scale as the Whole, balancing itself.

Have you ever read a conversation that leans too far into wholehearted agreement on a topic?  You're guaranteed to see a voice of dissention appear, and the intensity of the objection will be in proportion to the person's perceived idea as to how much of a correction is necessary to bring the conversation into balance.  If a third person joins in, they will likely come in with a position meant to tip the scales to whichever "side" requires it for balance.  And If the original objector is alone in their opinion, they will likely voice their views in an exaggerated way, particularly if they feel that they're up against a prevailing headwind of opposing voices.

Yes.  It's always, and only about the balance.

Notice when it's you who feels compelled to join in a thread.  Is there a feeling of needing to "correct" someone's position, or do you feel the need to make the opposite opinion heard?  This feeling of compulsion can sometimes seem to come from nowhere or even take you by surprise.  Ask yourself where that voice comes from.  Take a look at it to see how it came to be and which way it's meant to tip the scales.

For My Yin, You've Gotta Have a Yang. 

Conversationally, we're always chasing each other.  It's the reason this exchange is possible in the first place.  Within each opposing point of view is enough truth to give conviction to its expression.  But more than that, the seed of its converse is within it.  And that converse is also both true and false.  One feeds the other.  If one side of any position feeds too much (gets heavy and tips), the balance is disrupted and the conversation ends.  And when there is too much agreement, there is conversational starvation or inertia, and the dynamic dies.

So the next time you find yourself in a facebook debate, take a step back and take in the view of the whole.  Look for the seed of truth in each side, as well as the seed of what's false in each.  The exchange is a fractal, a small demonstration of the balancing forces found in every exchange in the natural world.  And our online interactions are no different... they are pushed and pulled by the very same forces shaping politics, religious conflicts, and all out world war.

It starts so very small.

When You've Seen No Self then "Lost It"

The sudden realization of no separate self isn't as elusive as some like to pretend it is. Teachings have spread like wildfire through the internet and people are waking up after just weeks rather than years of seeking.  But the truth is that I've run into quite a few seekers who've quickly seen it then run back to the safety of selfing claiming that they haven't.  It's a fairly natural response.  After all, how many of us really want to be exposed as an elaborate work of fiction or nothing more than character in some fantastic story?

Then there are those who clearly see that there is no central controller "inside" and the revelation brings a tremendous sense of openness, freedom, and a lightness of being.  For the first time, they feel real joy. Unfortunately, the bliss of initial realization may wear off rather quickly, leaving the seeker with a sense that they've lost something precious.

But that just can't ever be true.

No matter how many times it's seen, of course the self comes back.  There's no reason for it not to as it's as natural a part of life's function as the fact that it was seen to be false.  As Liberation Unleashed co-founder Ilona Ciunate says in her "I think I haven't seen it" post, life doesn't stop.  It was life that created the sense of self in the first place!

That there isn't a You is a fact, not a state.  It's a fact that can be looked at through all of "your" history.  Examine it.  Has the you ever been there?  Is it here right now, ready to be pointed to?  If not, rest assured that nothing has changed and that a separate self hasn't suddenly popped into existence.

Do you feel a sense of self now?  Where?  Take a look to see whether it can be found in this moment, and if you need to do it again in the next moment, do so.

Has it been located yet?  No?  Keep checking until you stop looking over your shoulder.


photo credit:  Light and Sound by ahermin on deviantart

Rocking You Like a Cat 5 Hurricane

For those new to the idea that there may not be a central controller of the mind or body, to begin to understand this notion, you might want to take a look at a hurricane.  Make it a really very powerful one.

See that well-defined eye? 

It's made of an absence.  Just like you.  The hurricane itself continues to move and form but its core can't be found.  The round shape and seeming existence is entirely dependent upon everything else that's swirling around it.  The eye is quiet, calm, and welcome in any storm because NOTHING happens there.  Nothing happens in what is usually thought of as a Self, either.

Take a look.

See all of the things and people that are supposedly moving and forming around you?  Ok.  Then turn 360 degrees.

Yep.  "You" are the eye of a hurricane.

Enlightenment, The Robin Hood Spirit, and A Tale

There's just no way to not be heard as a radical voice when it comes to talking about enlightenment.  There was nothing mainstream about what Jesus or Buddha had to say about the nature of reality and in their time they stirred up enough controversy to get themselves shunned, tortured, or killed.  Since then, select groups of self appointed guardians have packaged, preserved, and placed select teachings high on shelves of churches and temples, outside the reach of  many.  That act effectively transferred the value from what was being pointed to, to what was pointing.  Since then, newer radical voices have dusted the cobwebs from the teachings and found ways to communicate the pointers, making realization available to many during their lifetimes. 

Oh, but they didn't have Oprah and DSL.

Within the past few years I've watched as new internet voices have joined in on a chorus to pull the teachings from their lofty perches, dust them off, then repackaged them in pragmatic wrappings meant for a hungry new line of guru-weary seekers.   Eckhart Tolle kicked off the mainstream discussion.  Sam Harris has thrown his spin on it.  But what's more interesting is the groundswell of everyday people who've added their experiences and pointers to the pool of information now freely available to anyone with a computer and connection.

This blog has been an attempt to add to those voices.  There are lots of folks who've taken offense to this movement, calling it disrespectful and not a TRUE awakening.   But they're the very folks who should know better.  What's their mantra?  Everything changes.  And yes, the secrecy and mystery surrounding waking up is also changing. 

When it comes to thought, change is exponentially accelerated by the internet.

That my family and friends kind of look at me funny when I mention these ideas surrounding self, time, space, and reality has stopped giving me pause.  The truth of the findings have held, and there's no denying the obvious.  You've heard the line...Once seen, this cannot be unseen.  There's no turning back and I don't think I'd ever want to.  Instead, I will press forward.

Today, I sat in a Barnes and Noble, reading books on blogging and growing an audience.  My intention in growing a blog following is one initiated alongside friends on and old forum... to make direct and pragmatic pointers into the nature of the self available to everyone, everywhere, free of charge.

That original 2011 intention remains.

The reason making this promise was bound up in the collective and then radical act of grabbing straight for the treasure of core realizations first, then freely distributing wealth.  The many posts on this blog and others listed in the right hand column of this page, have constituted just some of the everyday voices currently caught the act of trying to communicate what's been hidden, even though it's in plain sight. 

And then we have my own take on the repackaging.  It's just part of the direction I want to move in, and this blog's future direction is something I've been mulling over for quite a while.  The next questions too explore is what does this realization actually MEAN?  Because the implications are really extraordinary.

It's becoming clearer. 

In the end, this blog's purpose and direction isn't about pointers on the self.  Though that's the core of all "mystical" teachings, it's not enough unless thoroughly explored in the context of seeming to live in the world.  Friends and loved ones still get sick.  Babies are born.  Change comes.  Life doesn't magically begin bending to your will, simply because there isn't a you for it to bend to.  Ultimately, even when getting to the heart of enlightenment, the show does go on.  There' a return to the world.  After all, there isn't anything that lives outside of it

And there was never anyone here to leave it. 




I'm excited to explore ways to integrate and grow Tabula Rasa and Lill Inpsiration.  I hope they will become a fuller, richer communication not just about pointers on the core teachings of enlightenment.  There's more to explore when it comes to pointing to "the rest of the story" and how this new seeing affects the amazingly juicy experiences that make up this ALWAYS wide open world. 

delma (thassa)


photo credit:  Monk vol.1 by CenkDuzyol